Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy gifted Tricia Whitaker with what he thought was a turtle. It actually turned out to be an endangered tortoise.
The Major League Baseball reporter is now committed to her new pet for life.
This hilarious mixup was the MLB skipper’s way of getting back at the sideline reporter for a viral interview last season. Little did Murphy know, he was committing Whitaker to tortoise parenthood.
Pat Murphy gifted Tricia Whitaker with a turtle.
This hilarious exchanging of gifts stems from an interview back in August. Whitaker spoke with Murphy about what he likes to eat in the dugouts over the course of nine innings.
The Milwaukee Brewers manager revealed that he keeps a variety of different food items in his pockets to munch on during games. “Whatever fits,” said the third-year skipper.
On that specific day, it was pancakes. Pat Murphy pulled a flapjack out of his jacket — sans packaging or even a paper towel wrap — and took a bite. He offered the same to Tricia Whitaker. She gladly obliged.
The moment went extremely viral on social media. Some people thought it was gross. Others didn’t care.
It became such a polarizing topic that Murphy’s fairly disgusting eating habits became a major topic of conversation across MLB throughout the month of August. Whatever keeps you fed, I guess!
Whitaker was back on assignment with the Brewers earlier this week for the first time this season. Murphy gifted her with a “turtle” in exchange for all of the chaos she caused him with the pancakes interview.
Except… it wasn’t a turtle.
What is a sulcata tortoise?
TSA does not allow its passengers to fly with reptiles so the turtle (that isn’t a turtle) will stay with the team for now. But don’t get it twisted. The (turtle that isn’t a turtle) belongs to Tricia Whitaker!
It is her new pet. Maybe. Probably.
American Airlines has a strict no reptiles policy and Whitaker is going home for the Final Four so she left ‘Bobby’ with the Brewers in Kansas City. He is already getting acclimated to the clubhouse.
Looks like Bobby Jr is already making some friends in the Brewers clubhouse pic.twitter.com/G0iWmCaQ6v
— Ryan (@BrewPack8) April 4, 2026
She came to the following agreement with the players:
“They will keep the tortoise for now. It was suggested by one player that they get to keep the “rally turtle” if they win today. If they lose, I am hoping, consideration will be given to send me the tortoise.
Here is how the entire thing came together during pregame:
Pat decided literally yesterday on his way to the game that this was going to happen.
He and some of the players were mulling over what animal he should pull out of his pocket.
A couple people suggested a gerbil or hamster, but he decided on a turtle.
So he paid the KC clubbie $500 to go buy him a turtle and bring it to the stadium.
After the cancelled game, the players were with it in the clubhouse, feeding it all sorts of vegetables.
The turtle is living the highlife, make no mistake.
— Tricia Whitaker
Except it isn’t a turtle. So what is it really?
Upon further review, the “turtle” is actually a Sulcata tortoise— also known as the African spurred tortoise. That is a much different commitment than initially thought.
A Sulcata tortoise is the largest mainland species of tortoise in Africa and the third-largest in the world. Its high-fiber, low-protein diet consists mostly of grasses, plants and hay.
Sulcata tortoises typically grow to an average size of 24–30 inches in shell length. They can weigh between 70–110 pounds as adults. Males can get up to 200 pounds or greater. They typically live somewhere between 70 and 80 years in captivity.
Pat Murphy gifted Tricia Whitaker with what he thought was a turtle. Instead, it was a lifelong commitment to an animal that might end up weighing more than she does.